


There's a wind down from the south

by theseatheseatheopensea



Category: Heidi - Johanna Spyri
Genre: Adventures, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Disabled Character, Friendship, Gen, Inspired by Music, Kids Being Awesome, Late 1970s setting, Mischief, Teenage Rebellion, Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 02:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21468544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theseatheseatheopensea/pseuds/theseatheseatheopensea
Summary: Everyone on the block knows Heidi and Clara.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2019





	There's a wind down from the south

**Author's Note:**

  * For [katekane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/katekane/gifts).

> Hi katekane! [Your prompt](https://katekane.livejournal.com/3643.html) made me smile so much, and I couldn't help myself from writing something for this beloved childhood book. Because inspiration is weird like that, I immediately thought about [Kentucky Avenue](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvZK8Wl7RQ8) by Tom Waits, which is (in case you haven't heard it before) an autobiographical song about a kid and his wheelchair-using friend and their adventures. I thought it would be fun to put Heidi and Clara in this universe, so here's a short story about badass, angry kids and the power of friendship! :) Happy holidays!

Everyone on the block knows Heidi and Clara.

Heidi lives with her grandpa and she is always running around, getting into trouble. Her real name is classified information. She likes to sits on rooftops, and sometimes she even jumps off them. She wants to have wings, but she settles for this. She gets to show off the scabs on her knees like trophies, and that's pretty cool.

Clara lives across the street. She has a Joey Ramone haircut and a black and red wheelchair. She fills sketchbook after sketchbook with art. She likes kittens and flowers and poems and stories. She also likes knives, and she writes "punk not dead" on the back of her wheelchair, just in case anyone mistakes her for a good girl.

They are so different. Heidi skips school a lot and spends a lot of time picking up old cigarette butts and pieces of broken glass. She may or may not shoplift. Clara has an impressive skeleton key collection. She likes to look at the magpies, and saves old breadcrumbs for them. But they both like loud music and kites and avocados and watching the freight train go by. And they tell each other everything. They are best friends.

Some people look at Clara's wheelchair with pity. They never really look at Clara's face, but she flips them off anyway. So does Heidi. The neighbours complain about them, and Heidi's grandpa shakes his head, but he's on their side. He doesn't care, and they don't care either. They don't freaking care. They are loud and they are free. They are together, teaming up against the world. They are awesome.

Nearly every afternoon, Heidi and Clara hang out together at the end of the block. The other kids think that they are total badasses, and they are right. They follow the fire trucks, and they go to the bus stop and back, just because they can. They triple dog dare each other a lot. Clara scratches her initials on her arm, no big deal. Heidi, to no one's surprise, jumps off yet another roof. She lands dramatically. Clara claps her hands and laughs and laughs and laughs. They read together from one of Clara's books, and the letters grow alive and turn into dreams. They turn into possibilities.

For Christmas, Heidi gets Clara a skull and crossbones ring. And no, Clara doesn't care where (or how) she got it. It fits her style, and she wears it proudly. Heidi finds half a pack of Luckys. Clara brings her Walkman and some macadamia nuts. Afterwards, Heidi keeps watch as Clara draws a big rainbow on the wall of the abandoned house on the corner. It's a real party.

There's a wild wind coming down from the south, roaring through the trees, and they fly fast along with it, like the kites and the magpies' wings. They fly down the street, together. They sit and watch the changing colours of the sky. They keep the sunlight in their hearts. Yes, they are awesome. They are best friends.


End file.
